Iran's military mastermind just gave the US the bird

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Qassem Soleimani, left, stands at the frontline during offensive operations against Islamic State militants in the town of Tal Ksaiba in Salahuddin province, March 8, 2015. Reuters Iran's military mastermind is getting defiant.

Soleimani is a US-designated terrorist. US Secretary of State John Kerry, as he rallies Washington support for the Iran nuclear deal, has assured American officials that Soleimani and his Quds Force would continue to face sanctions from the US Treasury even after UN sanctions are lifted under the deal, Fox reports.

Kerry told Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) on July 29 that US sanctions against Soleimani would never be lifted, according to Fox.

Soleimani reportedly traveled to Russia on a commercial Air Iran flight. He arrived on July 24, a Friday, and left on Sunday.

Fox notes the significance of his visit: "UN sanctions have not yet been lifted against Iran, and Soleimani, as head of the Iranian Quds Force is sanctioned as part of Security Council Resolution 1747. He is prohibited to travel, and any country that lets him transit or travel is defying the sanctions. (Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council and would have been aware of this restriction when meeting with him.)"

As US officials have assured Americans that money from Iran sanctions relief wouldn't significantly affect the country's regional activities, critics have pointed to Soleimani's ambitions and reluctance to bow to the nuclear deal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, take part in celebrations for Navy Day in Baltiysk in the Kaliningrad region of Russia, July 26, 2015. REUTERS/RIA Novosti/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin

The Quds Force, the special forces wing of the Iran Revolutionary Guard, has been expanding its influence across the Middle East and getting involved in regional conflicts in Iraq and Syria.

The Shia militias have emerged as the most effective fighting force against ISIS in Iraq, but some say the Shia fighters aren't much better than the ISIS terrorists they're trying to expunge. (Others, however, have welcomed the Shia militias as the best option for helping Sunni tribal fighters drive ISIS out of Iraq.)